Here are this week’s letters.

BirdBox was a fantastic setting

WE WANTED to add our views on the BirdBox discussion.

We have been very privileged to have worked at the BirdBox, providing our event services under the BRMG Radio banner at events such as the Welcome Back event, Christmas lights switch-ons, Bromsgrove Festival and also a couple of other events coming out of the pandemic.

From what we could see with the audiences that came along to visit the events, everyone loved the surroundings – the grassed boxes provided ideal seating for many as well as the kids having an adventure on them.

It was also a great setting for some of the newest local catering businesses to get back into the swing of things following those rubbish Covid years – the mobile caterers and other local stall holders looked great in the BirdBox setting.

We shall be sad to see it go when the new development begins but BRMG Radio was very pleased to have been a big part in getting the communities of Bromsgrove back to a sense of normality following those strange Covid times.

The team from BRMG Radio

It’s now an untidy embarrassment

THE PICTURES featured in the online BirdBox article are old.

It looks very unkept now and the artwork has not been kept up-to-date.

It is an embarrassment to the town now, whereas it has been a feature in the past.

It is very unloved maintenance-wise and I would like to see up-to-date pictures showing today’s reality.

A contrast to what was and what is reality would show a completely true and accurate story.

Rachel Cook

All we really want is a useful facility

HERE ARE my thoughts regarding the BirdBox

What an embarrassing eyesore!

Yes, I know it was meant as a temporary stop gap but residents of Bromsgrove were left with an ugly white elephant when the perfectly serviceable market hall was prematurely demolished.

Despite the council maintaining that it has been successful, I’ve seen depressingly few events there.

Get rid ASAP.

But please learn lessons.

Is it too much to ask to expect a reasonably attractive and above all useful facility in its place?

Pam Dunstone

Action needed to stop town dying

AS A RESIDENT of Bromsgrove for more than 60 years, I can honestly say that successive councils have ruined the town.

I was once proud to say I lived in the historic market town but as it continues to lose its identity, under the stewardship of this council which is blatantly disregarding the views of people who live here, it just saddens me.

We need a council which will stop wasting money on ridiculous projects when the town is dying.

Artrix should have been saved and the area around it developed as an entertainment area.

Most importantly we should have a market place for independent retailers to use.

I could go on but I 100 per cent agree with the views in the national newspaper – it is an eyesore.

Karen Barr

This is why I won’t buy an electric car

I WRITE in reply to S Neal’s reply to mine regarding the longevity of electric vehicles, the battery life, trade in value and safety. Nevertheless, he said he agreed with the majority of my letter on my concern about these vehicles.

Today I read yet another electric vehicle has caught fire, a London TFL bus this time with schoolchildren on board.

They state that due to this, all electric buses have now been removed for investigation on that route.

I also read that, according to the fire service, if an electric vehicle is on fire – and many have to date – it cannot be put out by normal means and it would first need to be allowed to stop burning first before being towed away and immersed in a water tank.

If that’s going to happen, what insurance company in their right mind is going to insure them?

Mr Neal says an EV is very cheap to run. May I inform him, I remember gas being also cheap so people had their car engines converted. Later the gas had got to same price as petrol and diesel.

No doubt the EV road tax will also float up as time goes on.

Mr Neal says I did not look into the advent of electric vehicles and I had jumped to conclusions because I had no experience.

Well, Mr Neal, from what I have read I will not be buying one of these cars anytime soon.

Regarding my experience of motor vehicles, I owned and ran a garage for many years and converted many engines, I was also a government HSE examiner responsible for safety in mechanical and electrical medical equipment.

A copy of the bus story that caught fire has been given to this newspaper to verify my information – in case Mr Neal says it’s made up.

Stan Francis

Romsley

EDITOR’S COMMENT

THERE has been a lot of views expressed regarding Bromsgrove’s BirdBox this week.

As you will see from the letters on this page, whilst it was labelled a white elephant by some people, others who held events there valued it.

It is, however, one of the first things people see when they approach the town centre from that side so should have been maintained better.

And, you cannot help but think, more could have been made of it in terms of an events space.

We welcome your letters…..

We welcome your letters for the Bromsgrove and Droitwich Standard on any subject but please keep them to no more than 350 words. Email them to [email protected] or [email protected]